Before completely turning the page to the 2026 season, the final Coaches Poll ballot has provided closure to what we saw over the last six months. Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer kept the Crimson Tide inside his top 10 after their CFP quarterfinal exit to eventual national champion Indiana, but it was the rest of his ballot that ignited some debate.

Alabama was ranked No. 9 in the final Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25. DeBoer subtly moved the Crimson Tide up two spots, placing his team at No. 7. That placement felt strategic in a season that ended with a CFP victory over Oklahoma and a Rose Bowl defeat to national champion Indiana.

Here’s how he ranked his top 25 teams on his final Coaches Poll ballot:

1. Indiana
2. Miami
3. Ole Miss
4. Oregon
5. Ohio State
6. Georgia
7. Alabama
8. Texas Tech
9. Texas A&M
10. Oklahoma
11. Notre Dame
12. Texas
13. BYU
14. Utah
15. Iowa
16. Virginia
17. Vanderbilt
18. Navy
19. Houston
20. SMU
21. TCU
22. USC
23. Washington
24. Michigan
25. Illinois

This marked the first top-10 final ranking of the DeBoer era and the 17th time in 18 seasons that Alabama has lived in that space. DeBoer’s ballot is intriguing because of how strongly others disagreed with it. The Tide was ranked at No. 6 by Tulane’s Jon Sumrall poll and Delaware’s Ryan Carty. However, Navy’s Brian Newberry ranked them No. 21. Unsurprisingly, he ranked his own team No. 19.

Twenty coaches, including Curt Cignetti of Indiana, whose Hoosiers defeated the Tide in the Rose Bowl, ranked Alabama at No. 10 or lower.

DeBoer, however, kept Alabama well behind blue bloods like Georgia and Ohio State and ahead of schools like Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and Texas. Then there is the bigger picture. DeBoer’s top six picks, including Indiana, Miami, Ole Miss, Oregon, Ohio State, and Georgia, read more like a coach believing what he saw on film during the season. His ballot included seven SEC teams, five of whom were in the top ten.

After a tough 4–8 season under third-year HC Luke Fickell, DeBoer left the Badgers unranked in his Poll. Alabama saw Wisconsin up close in their 38–14 victory over the Badgers in Tuscaloosa.

Pressure mounts on Kalen DeBoer

Alabama football is currently in limbo. Although the results haven’t been up to standard for the past two years, expectations remain at the level of a national championship. The third year under Kalen DeBoer is really intense after back-to-back four-loss seasons, which ended in a terrible 38-3 thrashing at the hands of Indiana on New Year’s Day.

That blow was historic in the worst way, the worst postseason loss in program history, and the most lopsided Alabama defeat since 1998. That sort of humiliation persists for a fan base used to domination. But there were also highs. The Tide took down Georgia in Athens, defeated rivals Auburn and Tennessee, and even knocked Oklahoma out of the playoffs. The injuries derailed their final stretch of the season, and it all came crashing down in the Rose Bowl.

“You’ve got to go back to starting over from scratch with putting the people around you, the right people, committing to something, a common goal together, and the actions following it,” DeBoer said after the loss.

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That talk quickly turned into action once the transfer portal opened. Alabama landed 16 transfers. On defense, Oregon interior force Terrance Green and USC edge rusher Devan Thompkins will take care of a depleted defensive line. The offensive additions include Texas guard Nick Brooks, NC State wideout Noah Rogers, and former Michigan tackle Ty Haywood, all of whom were among the best players in the portal.